


Fear said you'll never be enough (he is a liar)

by LittleMissAgrafina



Series: Here Be Tumblr Prompts [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Irondad, Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter is insecure and thinks he isn't worthy or enough, Slight Hurt, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony wont take that, he gets one, i still don't know how to tag, mentioned Pepper Potts - Freeform, mostly comfort, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25317919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissAgrafina/pseuds/LittleMissAgrafina
Summary: "People are staring." His squeaked under his breath to Tony but the older man only shot him a smile, squeezing the hand he had resting on Peter's shoulder."Let them." Tony said. "You are enough."-(Peter has to attend his first gala since the news of Tony's shared guardianship of him was revealed. His insecurities and fears make an appearance but Tony chases them away.)
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Here Be Tumblr Prompts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823302
Comments: 19
Kudos: 159





	Fear said you'll never be enough (he is a liar)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emily_F6](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/gifts).



> I said I couldn't write today. I lied to myself lol.
> 
> This is the last ask from my inbox but I'll definitely be rebloging more prompt lists sometime so if you ever wanna ask for something you can head over to my Tumblr:)  
> It's the same user as my AO3.
> 
> This one is 50."People are staring." Which was requested by @justme--emily.

Peter had been acting strangely all week and Tony didn't know why. The kid had been jumpy, skittish almost, and his whole mood and demeanor had just been darker and more anxious than usual.

  
  


Tony had tried to subtly question him but it fell flat pretty fast when Peter only gave him vague, one word answers. He was obviously dealing with something but Tony couldn't pry more than he had, he didn't want to push the teen away or force anything on him. 

  
  


The hero was still worried but other than the darker mood, there was nothing else that changed with Peter. He didn't have any major projects, assignments, or essays that could have been stressing the teen out. There also wasn't anything that had happened on Peter's daily patrols. Queens was calmer than usual which meant the time he patrolled for was less as well.

  
  


The only thing that Tony could think of was the gala that he and Pepper were hosting on the coming Saturday for one of the charities they funded and supported. But that couldn't be it, right? Peter had been to some already since they had made his internship official. 

  
  


That was when the thought came to him.

  
  


It would be the first gala that Peter would be attending since the news of his and May's shared custody of the boy had gotten out. On top of that, Peter's place in Stark Industries had been revealed. The ensuing weeks of media cover, hounding, and slander after the future heir of SI was more than enough to earn the entirety of both the PR and legal teams of SI a hefty raise. It was peanuts to the billionaire though, his only desire was to help his kid have the easiest life he could with what he had to deal with as Spider-Man and Tony's future successor.

  
  


If you had told Tony two years ago that he would willingly allow a kid to be so close to him and in his space he would have paid for you to go to therapy. Little did he know he would turn into a whole ass father figure and eventually share custody of an enhanced vigilante. It still wasn't the weirdest thing he'd done either, just ask Rhodey.

  
  


Shuffling the paperwork he had gotten distracted from, Tony vowed to talk to Peter before the weekend arrived. 

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Ties were the bane of Peter's existence. Knotting the fabric was a science that he had never been able to master.

  
  


Tossing it to the side, he let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed backwards onto his bed. It was hopeless. He'd tried following tutorials on YouTube, asked FRIDAY, and even video called May but she was just as bad at him.

  
  


Ties were hopeless. He was hopeless.

  
  


His brooding silence was broken by a soft knock on his door. He turned his head and saw Tony leaning against his doorway dressed in a crisp suit with his tie knotted perfectly.

  
  


"You okay in here, Roo?" He questioned the frowning teen softly as he glanced at the crumpled tie that had been discarded to the bedroom floor.

  
  


"Ties should be banned." Peter grumbled under his breath, a seriousness and weight to his voice that was too powerful for his words.

  
  


That was when Tony remembered his broken vow to himself that he would speak to Peter.

  
  


"Are you sure it's just the tie that's bothering you?" 

  
  


The question threw Peter off. Was it just the tie? Or was it the nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that this was a mistake? That he wasn't good enough to be the heir to SI, that he wasn't good enough for Tony.

  
  


Seeing the momentary expression of surprise followed by a myriad of emotions spread across the kid's face only confirmed Tony's hunch. Confusion, fear, doubt, and panic flashed through Peter's eyes making Tony grimace inwardly. He knew he should have confronted him earlier.

  
  


"It's not just the tie." Came the eventual admission. "It's other things too. Big, ugly thought things."

  
  


Tony picked up the tie and took a seat on the bed next to the tense boy. He nudged his shoulder in a silent request for him to sit up. Once Peter had situated himself facing Tony, the man deftly slid the tie around his collar and smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles from the fabric.

  
  


There were no words spoken between them until Tony had finished with the tie and just stayed sitting next to Peter.

  
  


"I'm nervous." Peter finally admitted sheepishly. "I know I've been to these before but..." 

  
  


"It's different," Tony continued softly. "When you have so many expectations and so much pressure placed on you."

  
  


"Yeah, it is."

  
  


Peter looked up at Tony, his eyes staring into Tony's, searching for something that Tony didn't know. "What if I'm not good enough?"

  
  


Tony frowned at his words. How did Peter not see his worth? How did he not see what he gave to the people around him, how he cared and loved?

  
  


"Peter Parker, you are more than enough. You are strong and kind. You are so clever and brave and I grow prouder of you everyday. I know that May does too."

  
  


"You are, and always will be, enough. You never have to doubt that, bud, but when you do you'll have all of us to help you along. Don't forget that."

  
  


"Thank you." Peter's eyes shone with love and gratitude. 

  
  


They both knew that he was talking of so much more than the tie.

  
  


"It's my pleasure, Roo."

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Peter stepped into the ballroom that the charity was being held in and was almost floored by the sudden wave of anxiety that flooded over him. 

  
  


So many eyes had turned to look at them when Tony and Pepper made their appearance, Peter between them.

  
  


"People are staring." His squeaked under his breath to Tony but the older man only shot him a smile, squeezing the hand he had resting on Peter's shoulder.

  
  


"Let them." Tony said. "You are enough."

  
  


So Peter did. He still freaked out internally but he stopped forward with his head high and shoulders squared.

  
  


He could do this. He was enough.

  
  
  



End file.
